Friday, December 21, 2007

Joy to the World

On the first day of this week, my students gave to me:

140 Nutritional Self-Studies (10 pages each)...

On the second day of this week, my students gave to me:

38 Final tests (scantron, thank God)
30 notebooks
15 poster projects
10 children's book projects
32 lab reports
and...5 late Nutritional self-studies

On the third day of this week, my students gave to me:

30 poster projects
15 children's book projects
15 anatomical projects
65 lab reports
and...8 late Nutritional self-studies

On the fourth day of week, my students gave to me:

15 poster projects
5 children's book projects
5 anatomical projects
32 lab reports
and...3 late Nutritional self-studies, 5 late work packets, and gifts of chocolate!

On the fifth day of this week, my students gave to me:

Peace and quiet to grade all their *$%& work I received the first 4 days.

Projects are not included in this photo...just imagine

So after several hours grading this week, 7 hours marathon grading this morning, and prepping my room for the break…I return home to find:

--one sink full of dishes not touched since Tuesday

--a basket of dirty clothes since the washer was broken earlier this week (I now realize I am wearing my last pair of undies).

After washing, scrubbing, and organizing, I now can celebrate! I am on break!


What will happen during break?

--Sleeping
--Eating (ham tonight, even….prepared by my neighbor, i.e. no cooking for me ☺ )
--Sleeping
--Spa treatment (I am going to be wrapped in herbs and mud until I am smooth like a baby’s butt—at least, that is what I think will happen)
--Lots o’ Christmas lovin’ (oh, did I type that out loud?)
--Sleeping
--Eating (crab season! YUM!)
--Visit from Peggy and Charles with Blue and Leah
--Sleeping
--Cirque de Soliel
--Reading
--Sleeping, have I mentioned this one yet?

Now, we go through our school gift loot. I get reminded I work in a public HIGH school, as I hold up to my mate my new blue “C” sports socks (gift) as he shows me the champagne, spa lotions, sweatshirt, cookies, various gift certificates, and other treats to me.
My mate's various gifts from his school's coworkers and students

My gift of socks...can you see my excitement?

Sigh, at least I have beer to keep me warm this Christmas…hey, where’s that Christmas lovin’?

Disclaimer: My mate read this blog and stated that it sounded like I was disappointed in life. So, I would also like to mention that yesterday during my feverish rush to complete the grading piles, a mother of one of my students wrote an email stating how much she enjoys her daughter coming home to tell her about my class. That email along with the amount of thought the students put into their self-studies about their own health, reminded me why I became a teacher. So yes, I hate grading, but I do love teaching.